


Rule #3: Eat Your Veggies

by CreativeExplosion (WritersLife4me), WritersLife4me



Series: Kihyun's Guide to Parenting [4]
Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Child Hyungwon, Friend Minhyuk, Gen, Grocery Shopping, Shrimp Chips, Single Dad Kihyun, Uncle Nunu, Wonnie is a cutie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 16:06:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18854419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritersLife4me/pseuds/CreativeExplosion, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritersLife4me/pseuds/WritersLife4me
Summary: Kihyun really wanted his son to eat his vegetables.





	Rule #3: Eat Your Veggies

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Here is part 4 in the single dad Ki series. Enjoy!

Early in Kihyun’s journey through fatherhood, he quickly realized grocery shopping with a child required a lot of patience. Grocery shopping trips usually consisted of Wonnie wanting all the snacks in the store. Sometimes Kihyun was unable to say no to his son when it came to snacks. Other times he was successful in diverting his son’s attention away from the processed foods. He glanced at his friend, Minhyuk, their newest shopping companion.Kihyun was happy his friend was visiting for the weekend, but he was making his grocery shopping harder. 

 

“Come on Ki,” Minhyuk said, balancing Wonnie on his hip. “Wonnie just wants some shrimp chips.”

 

Wonnie pointed one single tiny digit at a row of Shrimp Chips. He sighed. Kihyun should have avoided the snack aisle all together, but he couldn’t. Their grocery put juice boxes on the same aisle. He ran his fingers through his hair. It was a Sunday afternoon and he still couldn’t get rid of the exhaustion from his long work week.

 

Kihyun placed a pack of juice boxes into his cart. “Minhyuk, my son needs to cut back on the sugar as much as possible. Don’t give me that look. I know juice boxes aren’t any better, but this brand has less sugar. Anyway, I just want my son to be healthier.”

Minhyuk brushed stray pieces of hair from Wonnie’s tiny face. “I think a five-year-old should enjoy his childhood. And the way to do that is to eat snacks.”

 

Kihyun snorted in reply. Childhood was more than just junk food. Minhyuk didn’t know what he was talking about. Kihyun pushed the cart past Minhyuk and continued to the produce section. He had a decent list prepared for his grocery trip and he needed to make sure he got everything.  After a few minutes, he stopped in front of the broccoli section.

 

He picked up some fresh broccoli. “Minhyuk, you’ll understand the importance of healthy eating when you have a child. Actually, I think everyone should eat healthier. I mean look at me. I used to eat greasy chicken all the time, but I’ve cut back. Okay, bad example, but I’m working on it. I just think my son would benefit from healthy eating early.”

Kihyun glanced over his shoulder when his friend didn’t respond. He shook his head, disappointed. Minhyuk and his son were nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t believe his friend had left before he had finished talking. Hyunwoo would never left while he was talking. He knew his older brother would agree with him. Then again, Hyunwoo was bad with snacks too. His brother always bought Wonnie snacks.

After a trip around the produce section, he searched for his friend and son. His eyes drifted toward his watch and he frowned at the time. There was still so much to be done before Hyunwoo arrived later in the day. He promised his older brother a home cooked meal and he wanted to make sure dinner was ready on time. All he had left to do was find his shopping companions, pay, and then head home.

On his way toward check out, he spotted Minhyuk staring at a magazine in his left hand. His friend held his son’s hand in his right hand. He spotted his son touching the colorful candy packages. Every few seconds, Wonnie asked Uncle Minnie to buy him some candy. Kihyun stopped right behind his friend and son.

 

“Thank you for disappearing during my speech Min,” Kihyun said.

 

Minhyuk jolted forward. His son removed his hand from Minhyuk’s and moved toward him, grabbing onto his pant leg. Large innocent eyes looked up at him. He ran his fingers through his son’s soft hair, a fond look in his eyes. He loved his little boy so much.

 

“Daddy, I want some candy, okay?” Wonnie asked, pulling on his pant leg and pointing at the candy by the register.

 

“But we have so many sweet fruits you can have instead.”

 

Wonnie pouted. “No, I want candy.”

 

“I’m sorry, Wonnie. No candy.”

 

Wonnie let go of his pant leg and walked toward the candy display, picking out a large yellow package with smiling character candies on the front. His stood right in front of him and  lifted the candy above his head. Kihyun sighed. His son thought he could change his mind. He wished it wasn't so difficult to say no. The hopeful look in his son's eyes broke his heart.

 

“I’ll share,” he said, eyes twinkling as he waved the candy about. “I’ll share with you daddy.”

 

“And that very sweet, but I have to say no. We aren’t buying candy.”

His son’s bottom lip trembled, his face scrunching. Kihyun lifted his son up into his arms. He whispered a soft apology over his son’s head as he took the package from his little hand. His son started to sniffle. He rubbed his hand up and down his son’s back.

 

“Maybe you should get him the shrimp chips at least,” Minhyuk said, sadness in his eyes. “Just this once.”

 

“I don’t know Min. I feel like I say yes too much, you know? “ Kihyun said, returning the candy to the display. “Min, are you pouting? You can buy yourself candy, you know? I’m not saying you can’t have candy.”

 

Minhyuk rolled his eyes. “I know that, Ki. But I just don’t like seeing Wonnie upset.”

 

“And I do?” Kihyun asked. “Look, I just think it is best if he doesn’t consume so much sugar.”

 

He patted the tiny back a couple of times as he pushed the cart with one hand to the checkout lane. On his right Minhyuk followed, sighing. Kihyun stood behind an older woman with a cart overflowing with vegetables, snacks, rice, meat, and sodas. He imagined a home full of growing girls and boys with two parents. He pushed the thought aside.

 

“Daddy,” Wonnie said, forehead pressed against his chest. " Candy please. Please."

 

Kihyun sighed, rubbing circles into his son’s back. When things upset his son, sometimes it took some time to calm him down. His child wasn’t a screamer like some kids. Instead his son expressed himself more silently when upset. There were times where is sadness was a lot more explosive than usual, but those times were rare. As he stood in line patting his son’s back, his frown deepened. He took one look at Minhyuk’s sad face and sighed.

 

“Hey Min?”

 

Minhyuk glanced at him. “Yes?”

 

“Would you mind getting me a bag of Shrimp Chips?”

 

Minhyuk smiled. He turned around and disappeared down the snack aisle. Kihyun groaned. He would put his foot down next time. He would just make sure to monitor his son’s shrimp chip intake. He rubbed circles into his son's back.

"Wonnie, daddy will get you some shrimp chips."

His son looked up from his chest, a smile forming on his face. He grinned, giving his son another kiss on the head. As he waited in line, he shook his head at the memory of Minhyuk’s smiling face. His friend was something else. He began emptying the cart one handed, a small smile on his face.

~~

Kihyun sat near his son, spooning some greens onto his plate. He frowned when Wonnie poked the vegetables with his chopsticks. Across from him, Hyunwoo chuckled at something Minhyuk had said about his co-star. Every week was a different kind of battle with his son’s picky eating. The hardest mission of all was getting his son to eat his vegetables.

 

“Don’t only eat the meat Wonnie,” he said, pointing at the vegetables with his chopstick. “Try some of the veggies. They are so good.”

 

Wonnie looked up from his plate and shook his head. Kihyun laughed, running his fingers through his son’s hair. If he could get his son to eat some vegetable, he would be okay. He turned his attention to Hyunwoo who happily ate the vegetables on his plate. An idea popped into his head. He grinned. He was such a genius.

 

“You should eat your veggies, Wonnie.”

 

“No Veggies. Shrimp chips only daddy.”

 

Kihyun shook his head. “Oh, I guess you don’t want to grow up super strong like Uncle Nunu.”

 

Wonnie’s eyes widened as he looked at him.

 

“Yes, Uncle Nunu always eats his veggies.”

 

Hyunwoo sat up straighter, a serious expression on his face. “Your dad is right, Wonnie. Veggies are so good. And you’ll grow up to be super tall like me.”

 

“Really?” Wonnie asked, looking at Hyunwoo.

 

Hyunwoo nodded.

 

“Oh. Uncle Nunu?” Wonnie asked.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Did Daddy not eat his veggies?”

 

“No, your daddy always eats his veggies,” Kihyun said.

 

“Oh, but Uncle Nunu is super tall. Taller than daddy.”

 "Yes your daddy is short," Hyunwoo said.

Kihyun narrowed his eyes as Hyunwoo began to laugh. “I’m not short.”

Minhyuk snorted, eyes crinkling as he tried to control his laughter.

“Your daddy is very short, Wonnie. Sometimes it happens,” Minhyuk said.

“Oh,” Wonnie said, eyes wide. “Daddy’s short?”

“Stop telling my son I’m short,” Kihyun said.

 “Ki, I already know Wonnie is going to follow in your footsteps. He’ll be short just like you," Minhyuk said, amused.

Kihyun crossed his arms, one single brow raised. “My son is going to be just fine in the future. Not to say that there is anything wrong with being short. I just know I am not short.”

Minhyuk and Hyunwoo smiled at each other and then began to laugh. He wanted to be mad, but he couldn’t with his son giggling next to him. Instead he joined in the laughter, ignoring the short comment. After the laughter died down, he went back to his meal. He are some vegetables and chewed while he thought about the things he had to accomplish tomorrow. On his right, his son sat in front of his partially empty plate. He took one look at the abandoned vegetables and sighed.

 

“Hey, Ki.”

 

Kihyun looked at his brother, curious. “Yes, hyung?”

 

“Thanks for the meal. You really didn’t have to,” Hyunwoo said, voice soft. “But I’m glad you did. I truly appreciate all the meals you’ve made for me.”

 

“What?” Kihyun asked, voice light. “Are you leaving South Korea or something? Why are you thanking me like you are about to move?”

 

Hyunwoo shook his head. “I could never. I just am very thankful. Really, Ki I mean it. Thank you.”

 

Kihyun smiled. Hyunwoo had been there with him from the start. He owed his older brother so much. A few meals here and there meant nothing in comparison to everything Hyunwoo did for him. For a second, a memory of  Tiffany walking out the door came to mind. He pushed the thought from his head.

 

Wonnie tugged at his sleeve and he looked at him.

 

“Uncle Nunu is leaving?” Wonnie asked.

 

“No, no. Uncle Nunu isn’t leaving,” Kihyun said, calming his son.

 

Wonnie beamed, smiling brightly, little teeth on display.

 

“Now, can you please eat your veggies, for daddy?” Kihyun asked.

 

Wonnie looked at the vegetables on his plate, clear disgust on his face. He took his chopsticks and put some vegetables into his mouth, chewing. He placed a kiss to the top of his son’s head, showing he was pleased and glad his son was eating well. There were still some vegetables left at the end of dinner, but he wasn’t too concerned about it. They made some progress tonight.

 

Hyunwoo looked at his watch and then him. “It is getting late and I have to be up early Monday. I’m going to start heading out soon.”

 

“Of course,” Kihyun said.

 

Kihyun looked at the drowsy look on his son’s face. He snickered. It was bed time for Wonnie. He got up, placed his hands under his son’s armpits and lifted him into his arms. He balanced his son on his hip and reached for his plate with one hand. He had to clear the table, put his son to bed, and then do the dishes.

 

“Hey, Ki, I’ve got it,” Minhyuk said. “You put Wonnie to bed and I’ll do the dishes.”

 

“What? No, you are my guest.”

 

“Don’t be silly. Let me help.”

 

“I’ll help him Ki,” Hyunwoo said, getting to his feet. “You go ahead.”

 

Kihyun walked down the hall, the sound of the water running drifted toward his ears. Everyday he was grateful for his friends and family. Everyday he wondered where he would be without them. A small smile formed across his face. He began to hum a little tune as he walked toward his son’s room.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the newest part. I had a lot of fun writing it. I am so excited to know what you think.


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